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ASP Forum
How do we benchmark our productivity?
"I've been studying the productivity benchmarks in various research studies
(including the ASP's), and the numbers suggest that my own reps are
superstars by comparison. I guess that's reassuring--but I don't honestly
believe we're that good. Your thoughts?"
—Perplexed in Peoria
Dear Perplexed:
Ouch. I hear this question a lot, and I always feel badly that our own
research (and benchmarking data from other researchers) creates so much
confusion about what's being measured. Let me try to clarify:
The ASP's productivity numbers are designed to measure the productivity of
an ENTIRE support organization, not just the output of front-line reps. We
take into account the overall contribution of managers, analysts, editors,
clerical staff, and other overhead people, who--at least in theory--are on
the payroll because they make the whole department run more efficiently.
That's a different approach from setting standards for individual reps, and
(as you've found) group productivity numbers don't pass a simple sniff test
when you use them to measure personal performance.
So why benchmark group productivity in the first place? The group
benchmarks primarily measure how well a support group's *managers* use all
their available resources--people, technology, organization, etc. For
instance, small changes in scheduling and workforce management can often
produce surprising gains in overall productivity, even though individual
support reps aren't working any harder. Better knowledgebase and case
handling tools, self-service Web support, and selective outsourcing can
all make a support group's overall productivity numbers really spike.
Of course, the principle applies in reverse: Reps may be insanely busy,
churning through call after call, but group productivity lags because the
company has under-invested in automation tools and efficient procedures. A
crew of hard-working laborers with shovels won't move nearly as much dirt
as one man with a back-hoe.
In your case, I'd use ASP benchmarks to see how your organization as a
whole stacks up against the rest of the industry--that's an important
metric to watch. As for personal productivity standards, probably your best
approach is to develop in-house standards based on the performance of your
own most-productive reps. That's likely to tell you much more about
individual productivity than any one-size-fits-all benchmark.
—Jeff
[Other comments and suggestions about this topic? Send me an
email and we'll post your
feedback below.]
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